Sustainable Diets and Biodiversity. Directions and Solutions for Policy, Research and Action

The book presents the current state of thought on the common path of sustainable diets and biodiversity. The 30 articles contained herein were presented at the International Scientific Symposium on the topic “Biodiversity and Sustainable Diets: United Against Hunger” organized jointly by FAO and Bioversity International. The Symposium addressed the linkages among agriculture, biodiversity, nutrition, food production, food consumption and the environment, serving as a platform for reaching a consensus definition of “sustainable diets” and to further develop this concept with food and nutrition security, and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, as objectives.

The publication provides diverse examples of sustainable diets. Various case studies and practices are also presented bringing biodiversity to the plate, with data showing improvements in nutrient intakes through food biodiversity, as a counterbalance to the trend of diets low in diversity but high in energy which contribute to the escalating problems of obesity and chronic diseases. Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources. A good example is the Mediterranean Diet.